


What have you got there, Momo?

by deutschistklasse



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cursed by a spirit, Gen, Momo kidnaps Zuko, Season 1 Zuko, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), kidnapped Zuko, tiny zuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27944618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deutschistklasse/pseuds/deutschistklasse
Summary: What can a Fire Prince do, when he is cursed, and then kidnapped by a winged lemur? Wait for the perfect opportunity to escape, and until that loathe the Avatar.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 105





	What have you got there, Momo?

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I'm working on my WIPs too.   
> I don't know if this was made by somebody or not, this was just something that didn't leave me alone. After all, Momo kidnapped Tom-Tom, so why not Zuko? So, enjoy your story about a tiny prince, a dangerous flying lemur, and a devious Avatar, who may or may not have made a pact with a spirit.

Zuko hated his life and those villagers who led him wrong, but he hated spirits the most. Particularly those spirits, who cursed him for asking a few questions. Couldn’t they be a little more understanding and helpful? He wasn’t a random adventurer searching for a fight. He had an Avatar to locate, capture, and deliver home.

He was tired, angry, and just plain disappointed, as he tried and failed to attract his Uncle’s attention for the twentieth time. Uncle was having the time of his life flirting with one of those villagers, who were responsible for this whole mess. He wasn’t hearing Zuko’s shouts, nor his pleas.

He was becoming more desperate, more sloppy. That was a problem, seeing that a bird almost snatched him up and snacked on him. It was lucky he could scare it away with his firebending. But that too wasn’t enough to make himself visible to his Uncle. Sometimes Zuko hated him too.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was tiny. Really tiny, more bug-sized than banished Prince-sized. He was worried since he didn’t know how he would get back to the ship. If Uncle decided, it was more fun to speak with a complete stranger, than to search for his nephew, he would be left behind. Maybe he really would get eaten by a bird. He felt somewhat betrayed.

His impending doom was closer than he thought. A gigantic paw whipped him up and brought him close to a monstrous face with huge round green eyes, enormous ears, and very sharp teeth.

This was the end. His arms were pinned to his sides, and Zuko didn’t have enough air to use his breath of fire, not to speak about other firebending forms. He waited for the inevitable, swearing loudly and without any filter whatsoever. If he was going to be eaten, then it made no sense to cling to decorum.

But he was just sniffed, licked, then the creature unfurled his wings and took off. This was what Uncle noticed.

„The Avatar’s pet! Prince Zuko, did you see it?”

He saw it, all right. He was very close to it actually. Too close. He tried to shout for his Uncle, to no avail.

„Prince Zuko, where are you? Have you gone already after the Avatar? Couldn’t you wait for me?”

Zuko saw his Uncle stop and look around. He saw him shrug then heard him yell into the forest.

„Maybe it’s better if I wait for you there, so I won’t slow you down. Prince Zuko, if you are finished, come back to the ship. Good luck!”

Zuko saw his Uncle turn around and head back with the villagers, before he was too high in the sky to see or hear anything at all, except his doom. He was in the paws of the Avatar’s winged lemur. He wasn’t eaten, but he wasn’t out of danger. He could be dropped, smashed, ripped apart… Or worse, taken to the Avatar and his friends. They would mock him first, then if they had their fill, they would surely kill him. One less enemy for them. Yes, this made sense.

He dreaded the moment when he would learn his fate. He shut his eyes and prayed to every great spirit he knew, Agni, Tui and La, Oma and Shu, even to forgotten Air spirits too. He hated his life, but he wanted to live, very much.

Then they began to descend. The lemur landed on something vast made of wood, then put him down.

„What have you got there, Momo?”

_No._

No, no, no, this wasn’t happening. The Avatar’s eyes peered down on him, then his face broke into a devious, no, a diabolic smile, with too many teeth.

„Sokka, Katara! You need to see this!”

„What is it, Aang?”

„Momo brought us a new friend!”

Then Zuko saw the Water Tribe siblings look at him too. The boy was then laughing, almost crushing him collapsing to his knees, and the girl… The girl was smiling at him sweetly, innocently. It sent a chill through him.

„Oh, hello there, Prince Zuko. Welcome to the team. I think you will be a _huge_ asset to us. But you are quite _vulnerable_ like this. Let me make you feel safe and comfortable.”

Then she proceeded to pocket him. That uncouth peasant! When he managed to climb out of the pocket, they were in the air again. He didn’t know where they were, where they were heading, and if he would be let go or kept as a hostage. His last hope was Uncle.

The lemur’s chatter alerted the Avatar to his emerging, and he was snatched up again. Zuko hissed and seriously considered just biting him. But he was late.

„Oh, you must be freezing this high up. It would be a shame if you would catch a cold. There, this will be better.”

Then he rolled him into a long, long scarf, and put him into the collar of his shirt, letting Zuko see the open sky. After that he proceeded to talk to him about friendship and him needing a firebending teacher, petting his head like he was a common _pet_. The water peasants chuckled in the background.

Zuko really hated his life, and he absolutely lost faith in the spirits. And he couldn’t even express how much he _loathed_ the Avatar and his friends. But the warmth was welcome, and the petting made him sleepy. He settled into the scarf, for the time being, waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape. Maybe Uncle would catch up to him too. He could wait. He waited almost three years to find the Avatar, he could wait a few days more.

Maybe he would be lucky, and he would be back to his normal size the next day. Then he could go back to capturing the Avatar. Until then he was exploiting their generosity and naivety. Yes, that was a good plan. Zuko yawned, then shut his eyes. He deserved a break.

He never heard the Avatar’s whispered _Thank you_ to the air, nor the answering _You’re welcome_.


End file.
